1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards a locating system for a portable electronic device, and more particularly towards a method and apparatus for temporarily disabling a locating function in response to detecting a predetermined condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the proliferation of portable electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), remote controls, and the like, it is not uncommon to lose track of or misplace the various devices. For example, mobile telephones and television remote controls are notorious for falling behind furniture or becoming wedged underneath sofa cushions. Components exist to cause a device to emit a perceptible signal in response to a hand clap, light signal or radio frequency signal that is generated to locate the misplaced device. A common problem with these components, however, is that they are vulnerable to malfunction, such as emitting the locator signal in the absence of a searching signal; that is, generating “false positive” signals. Another common problem is that such components may require a dedicated radio signal transmitter to generate and transmit the searching signal. This second transmitter may itself be vulnerable to being misplaced.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a locating system for a portable electronic device that overcomes these and other limitations of prior art systems.